What is a Long Range Hunting Shot? |

Long-Range is a subjective phrase. Long-Range hunting and shooting is the distance that requires a measure of education and calculation and practice to make a kill shot. The shooter is wise to find a ballistic calculator like the one I have referenced on the cover page in the header. A deer or elk kill-shot should regularly strike a 6 to 8 inch diameter target respectively, using a field brace or shooting off-hand to make a clean double lung kill. Down south in the bean fields, deer are seen at 100 to 700 yards and often the hunter is in a blind or in a situation where he or she can rest the rifle for the shot. In these situations I believe Long Range for most middle bore rifles is likely beyond your Max Point Blank Range (MPBR) which for most medium bore rifles is about 250 yards. (MPBR is where your bullet stays within a 6 inch circle from zero yards to where your bullet drops to three inches below center. Beyond that distance you need some math skills and the ballistic calculator to know the shot distances and for you to practice at those ranges. You must know bullet energies and distances that meet minimum velocities and energy to ethically kill the game intended and what the wind will do to your bullet while it is traveling to your quarry and adjust for that too. As an example, many in the shooting industry have come up with a guideline for bullet energies on deer-1000 ft-lbs, elk-1500 ft-lbs and moose-2500 ft-lbs. It is a guide so that you the hunter can make a clean kill at distances where these energies are seen at the longest range. You the hunter must decide if you can take that shot. I intend to be prepared to hunt and shoot beyond MPBR so I must know what each bullet I shoot can do or not do and practice, practice, practice. It is a project that is in fact very fun to undertake and you learn so much about you and your rifle and the cartridge/bullet you use. If you got a new rifle for Christmas, then this is a great learning opportunity.